Have your say on improving housing in East Sussex
Results updated 2 Dec 2025
Thank you to everyone who told us what they think about our strategy for making housing better in East Sussex.
We asked people what they thought about the 6 priorities in our strategy. 187 people answered our questions. 155 people read the short summary version of the strategy, and 32 people read the full version.
Here's what people told us:
- People want more affordable homes to rent or buy, especially smaller homes with 1 or 2 bedrooms. They want to know what 'affordable' really means and want to make sure these homes actually get built.
- People are worried there are not enough schools, doctors, roads and water to support new homes.
- People are worried about building on fields and green spaces. They want to protect the countryside.
- People think it's a good idea to use empty homes and shops again instead of letting them stay empty.
- People want new housing areas to have parks and green spaces.
- People think it's important to help people keep their homes so they don't become homeless.
- Many people said homeless people need better help with mental health problems and drug or alcohol problems.
- People are worried council's won't have enough staff to check that all rented homes are safe and well looked after
- People want all rented homes to be checked in the same way, whether they're rented from the council or a private landlord.
Using your feedback:
We're pleased that most of the things people told us are important match what our plan already focuses on.
People told us that homeless people need help with mental health and drug or alcohol problems. We're working on this through other projects. Different services are now working together to give better support to people who need it.
However, we can't do everything people asked for. For example, we need to build some new homes on green spaces to meet our housing targets. We will use empty buildings and brownfield land where we can, but this won't be enough on its own. We will take measures to protect the countryside as much as possible when building on green spaces.
The strategy will be considered by the Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Health on 15 December 2025. The full report, including what people told us and the changes we have made, will be available on our website a week before the meeting.
Overview
We want to hear from people and organisations with an interest in housing, about what you think of the draft strategy for improving housing in East Sussex.
East Sussex Housing Partnership works to meet local housing needs in the county. The partnership is made up of the five local housing authorities, housing providers and partners from across health, social care, children’s services, criminal justice and the voluntary and community sector.
To guide its work, the partnership has created a strategy that sets out the priorities it will focus on over the coming years. The priorities identified so far are:
- Homelessness prevention
- Housing, health and care integration
- Housing and management standards
- Creating new homes
- Tackling climate change
- Private rented housing
Why your view matters
We’d like to hear your views on the strategy, including the six priorities and aims for making improvements in those areas. Your feedback will help ensure the strategy reflects people's experience of housing in East Sussex and what’s important to residents.
The strategy aims to improve housing in East Sussex and support the five local housing authorities’ individual strategies. It will also guide future service planning, including opportunities to secure additional funding.
Taking part
Share your feedback by filling in this survey, which closes on 18 August 2025. You can view the draft strategy within the survey or by using the link below. For any enquiries, please get in touch using the contact details included on this webpage.
East Sussex Housing Partnership draft strategy
The survey questions take roughly 15 minutes to complete. You can use the ‘Save and come back later…’ button at the end of each page if you don’t want to complete the survey all in one go. A summary of the survey is given in the 'Take a look at the survey topics before you start:' section near the bottom of this page.
If you need support to take part or need the survey printed and posted to you, in large print or on coloured paper, or in another format, please get in touch using the contact details provided.
What happens next?
Using the feedback we gather from this survey and other engagement, we will update the strategy to reflect what people have told us. The strategy will be presented to lead member on 15 December 2025. It will also be presented to the District and Borough council cabinets over autumn and winter 2025, which you can view using the links below.
Links to District and Borough council cabinet meetings:
The partnership will also review progress against the priorities and new areas of work each year to ensure the strategy is kept up to date.
Take a look at the survey topics before you start:
There are up to four sections in the survey, with up to two questions in each. Each question relates to one of the six priorities of the housing strategy, and the final section asks for any other comments.
You'll be asked at the start of each section if you'd like to answer the questions on that priority, or skip to the next.
The priorities are:
- Homelessness prevention
- Housing, health and care integration
- Housing and management standards
- Creating new homes
- Tackling climate change
- Private rented housing
Privacy Information: This survey is anonymous, and we don't ask you to provide any personal information. Please ensure that any comments you make don't include any names or personal details of you or anyone else. You can read the full privacy notice here.
Areas
- All Areas
Audiences
- Residents of East Sussex
Interests
- Housing
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